NETWORK SHEP 7 he idea of joining a networking group had until relatively recently never occurred to me. I didn't really know what Networking groups were or that they even existed. I have travelled through life's natural networking processes, Sunday school, which in hindsight is enforced social networking for children devised by parents who want a lie in, then brownies, followed by the good old girl guides, social networking for teenage girls devised by parents as a way to keep them out of trouble, then in years to come Weight Watchers predictably followed by Slimming World and inevitably back to Weight Watchers, which in my case was a reunion for recovering Sunday school attendees and wayward girl guides. When it came to " adult" Networking to develop the opportunities to increase the potential of the " family firm" I decided I had to do my research. After months of which, in desperation I decided to look up the word Network in the school dictionary of my ten year old son, Joss, who was devised by God to test any of our natural parental skills, to find it nestled comfortably between nervous and neurotic, feelings that were becoming somewhat familiar during my Networking quest. What's it all about? For those of you unfamiliar with Networking, there are groups which meet every week at 7am. I have kids, cats, dogs and a host of other domestic responsibilities to attend to before I step in the shower of a morning, so there was no way I was going to find myself on the right side of a full English at that time of the day every Tuesday. Others include meeting every third Thursday of the month, I didn't want to go alone and my friend said it clashed with ER, which apparently is not to be missed even though George Clooney is no longer in it. It didn't matter anyway, she couldn't come because she makes cakes and as there is already a cake maker in that particular group, too many cooks etc……. There is the other group that on top of the cost of your attendance and monthly fee wanted an annual subscription which was the equivalent of a small mortgage, and I don't need another one of those. So what do I want, I will tell you what I want, what I really, really want……… • Flexibility with the opportunity to dip in and out as circumstances allow, if I can't go I can't go. No pressure! • A subscription that's not the equivalent of the monthly installments on a three bed semi in pebble dashed suburbia. • Easy to navigate web site support with a calendar of relevant and varied events. • Low cost informative events in quality venues, not a church hall with a tea urn and a bag of ginger nuts for me. • The opportunity to mix business with pleasure, there is such a thing as social networking surely. • No pressure to be there every week at day break, life gets in the way. • No pressure to supply an endless flow of " leads". • A geography that isn't restricted by boundaries or similar type services, I want to go global, or at least be allowed to cross the borough council border and take my cake making friend with me. • Opportunity to enjoy myself, develop the family firm and meet likeminded people, preferably in a wonderful venue with a glass of bubbles and a goody bag. Network She was born out of frustration on 6th September 2007 and now boasts an ever increasing countrywide membership, an established web site, a wide and varied events calendar which is developed in response to the " ask" of the members, an Awards Night and now a handbag size glossy magazine with a business edge. What started as a journey to expand my business has developed into an expedition to expand yours. T www. networkshe. co. uk byRuth Lloyd Williams Network She Members Maja Williams from Pamaya and Alison Hughes from Penally's Network She Member Alex Davies from Undercover Network She Members Lottie & Cassie from McAuley Summers Here come the girls